Systemic design

Dr. Helena Sustar!

Systemic design
This lecture goals:
1.
-  Services vs. Systems
-  Systemic design in services (the case)
-  Why systemic design is important?
-  Methods: systemic design methods and systemic methods
(e.g mobility)

2.
Exercise
- 3 horizons mapping out the future trends

Irma Savolainen
To make a significant impact, we must look at
entire ecosystems vs. isolated problems.

Brandon Schauer, 2007

Birger Sevaldson, Systems Oriented Design !

The Oslo School of Architecture and Design !
Services & Systems
•  See the big picture.
Services are embedded in larger systems of relationships and
interactions. And they need to take into consideration the changes users
go through throughout the duration of the relationship.

•  A service design approach is holistic.
It looks at systems and subsystems of relationships and interactions. It
takes the context into consideration, being aware that services are living
systems.

Mager, B. 2009


TEMWISIT Case
Challenges
•  Three levels: National/regional/municipality level, Service networks, End users
•  Systematisation of the services
•  Improving inter-organisational collaboration
•  Human centred services

Rich picture
Finnish Immigration System
•  understanding situations from multiple scales
•  terms of scale, social complexity and integration
Facts
Design Process
Interviews
Interviews
Interviews –
•  empathising with stakeholders
•  human-centred design
Workshop 2
•  challenge boundaries
•  sketching and visualization practices
Workshop 2
•  Support actions
Development Meeting 2
Systemic design
1. Systemic design is distinguished from service or experience design
in terms of scale, social complexity and integration – it is concerned
with higher order systems that entail multiple subsystems. 


2. By integrating systems thinking and its methods, systemic design
brings human-centred design to complex, multi-stakeholder service
systems.


3. It adapts from known design competencies, social and generative
research methods, sketching and visualization practices – to describe,
map, propose and reconfigure complex services and systems.




Jones, P. H. (2014) Relating Systems Thinking and Design Symposium
 What systemic design…
1. Allows understanding situations from multiple scales and
perspectives.

2. Provides ways of empathising with stakeholders to construct a
broader context within specific challenge.

3. Challenge boundaries, construct shared frames, visualise alternatives

to current paradigms.

4. Support actions to improve difficult situations.

5. Work together to act, reflect, and learn while doing.

6. Transform actors and organisations.

!
Alex J. Ryan, 2014, A Framework for Systemic Design !
Systemic design methods…
Systemic - design methods

•  systemic
•  designerly
•  systemic and designerly
•  neither systemic nor designerly

Genetic Algorithm

Systemic !
Service Ecology
Rich picture
Giga mapping
Affinity Diagram
Stakeholders map
Work
Designerly!
Breakdown
Structures Video Ethnography
Jones, 2015
Not Systemic !
or Designerly !
Systemic & Designerly methods
•  Service Ecology is a system of interactions and actors that,
together, create a sustainable and successful service or
experience.
h+p://telema1cswire.net/mobility-as-a-service-maas-launches-first-on-demand-mobility-service-in-finland/
Systemic & Designerly methods

•  Stakeholders map/ Actors map is mapping service actors and
stakeholders to investigate relationships that are part of or affect
the service and to generate new service concepts by reorganizing
how actors work together.
Liridona Sopjani (2015) User-centered Service Design for
Sustainable Mobility Innovations: Mapping Users’ Needs and
Service Requirements for Electric Car Sharing Service Design
Systemic & Designerly method

GIGA-mapping visualise complexity from which a designer can
deliver innovative solutions.

GIGA-maps provide a multi-scale, multi-layered framework for
visualising information gathered during a systemic design inquiry.

GIGA-maps are synthetic and flexible, hierarchical and non-
hierarchical maps into a single thick description.

(Sevaldson, 2011)
the Oslo School of Architecture and Design; System Oriented Design
A Gigamap draws from and combines many mapping types into one interrelated whole
(Diagram:Birger Sevaldson, 2013)
http://www.systemsorienteddesign.net/index.php/giga-mapping
3D model to understand and shape relational public & social services.

Muir & Parker (2014)

3 Horizons
What is 3 Horizons tool?
•  3 horizons model offers deeper understanding of the significance
of short, medium and long term futures, and how these connect to
strategy.

•  3 Horizons builds on the insight that businesses, technologies,

political policies and civilizations exhibit, life-cycles of initiation,

•  growth, peak performance, and decline

•  waves of change in which each dominant form is eventually

overtaken and displaced by another.

Anthony Hodgson
3 Horizons
 Example: From current economy
to a shared economy

5 years, Detroit “Feedback loops”

Not able to
correct itself
10 years Canadian Government
subsidies to oil companies Not sustainable

15/20 years Circular economies

Church, R., Benifand, K. and Ahmed, N. (2104) Reimagining the Future: The Biomimetic Economy. Proceedings
of RSD3, Third Symposium of Relating Systems Thinking to Design. Oslo, Norway: Oslo School of Architecture
and Design, October 15-17, 2014.
Task

Create 3 Horizons diagram mapping out the future of
mobility of your chosen service in terms of

-  mobility development
-  Technologies
-  user lifestyle (lead users, families, scientists, students )
-  Policies

-  growth, peak performance and decline

If you want to know more

•  Jones, P. H. (2014) Systemic Design Principles for Complex Social
Systems in G.S. Metcalf (ed.), Social Systems and Design, Translational
Systems Sciences vol. 1, pp. 91-128 DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54478-4_4,
© Springer Japan 2014, E Book Social System and Design Gary Metcalfe

•  Mager Birgit (2009) Service Design as Emerging Field, in Designing

Services with Innovative methods: Perspectives on Service Design, Ed.
Satu Miettinen, Mikko Koivisto, pp. 28-43

•  Hodgson, A. & Midgley, G. (2015) Bringing Foresight Into Systems Thinking

A Three Horizons Approach

•  K. Benifand, N. Ahmed, R. Church (2013) Re-Imagining the Future: The

Biomimetic Economy